Operation of Different Perspectives, Conservation Research Lab Tours, and Membership Concerts
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Leeum Museum of Art has been receiving positive responses on-site by operating various programs through its membership system starting this year.
Since April, the Leeum Museum of Art has been running new programs for membership members, including ‘Seeing Differently,’ ‘Conservation Research Lab Tour,’ and the ‘Leeum Membership Concert’ with monthly commentaries twice a month.
‘Seeing Differently’ is a program inspired by the fact that most visitors spend an average of about 17 seconds viewing an artwork, which is very short. It allows participants to appreciate one or two pieces from Leeum’s collection for more than 10 minutes each and share their impressions with each other.
Participants spend time in a quiet exhibition hall during the evening hours without other visitors, freely appreciating and interpreting one or two representative works from Leeum’s collection together with a facilitator, without any background knowledge or information about the artwork.
Starting in April, ‘Seeing Differently’ featured works by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Song Sunam, and Anselm Kiefer. In July and August, it will focus on Danwon Kim Hongdo’s works, one of Leeum’s representative collections, providing time to understand the artist’s expressiveness and characteristics.
‘Conservation Research Lab Tour’ is a program that tours the conservation site of Leeum Museum of Art, which uniquely has a conservation research lab for repairing and restoring its collection among private art museums. Although conservation treatment and research are important roles of museums, this field has been difficult to access as it has not been open to the public due to safety reasons and other factors.
The tour program explores the hidden conservation processes throughout the journey of a single artwork until it is exhibited. Visitors can hear vivid explanations from conservation researchers about the behind-the-scenes restoration process that breathes new life into damaged works by precisely analyzing and treating them for exhibition.
In the August program, visitors will tour the Contemporary Art Conservation Lab, one of Leeum’s conservation research labs, to see the conservation treatment process and space. The tour introduces spaces for conservation treatment such as the photography room where artworks are examined in depth using X-rays, the archive room where samples of materials used in artworks can be seen, and stories related to techniques and materials used by artists in their works.
‘Leeum Membership Concert’ is a music program held monthly where audiences enjoy various genres of music with easy-to-understand commentaries. Music critic Jang Ilbeom provides clear and entertaining explanations to help audiences engage with and appreciate the music more easily.
The Leeum Membership Concert featured △Classical music in April (Sejong Soloists, Lee Hwayoon & Daniel Lindemann) △Korean art songs night in May △Korean traditional dance in June △Italian Canzone concert in July. In August, it plans to present Gyeonggi folk songs and a Sejong Soloists Korea tour performance consecutively.
Additionally, Leeum membership members receive ‘Insight,’ which delivers stories about Leeum’s collection, artists, conservation research, and exhibition behind-the-scenes from Leeum’s curators and experts, as well as ‘Art Prism,’ a comprehensive email newsletter covering domestic and international art trends, recommended exhibitions, performance information, and book introductions.
‘Insight,’ sent once a week every Wednesday, shares interesting museum stories on various topics such as ‘Conservation Stories in Exhibition Works I_ The Essence of Goryeo Metal Crafts: Gilt-bronze Pagoda,’ ‘Reading History in Old Paintings I_ Hobbies of Late Joseon People,’ and ‘Two Ways to Appreciate Ian Cheng’s
‘Art Prism,’ sent once a month on the first Friday, provides comprehensive cultural and artistic information covering multiple genres including art. Members can get a quick overview of the latest trends.
The Leeum membership system has been continuously maintained since the museum’s opening in 2004, with art lovers enjoying Leeum Museum of Art’s exhibitions and programs participating. Currently, Leeum Museum of Art operates a membership system with various benefits composed of Family and Friends tiers. Membership members can enjoy online newsletters containing cultural and artistic news, discounts at the store and caf?, as well as affiliated benefits at nearby restaurants.
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